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Facebook is becoming less popular among teens
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Experts have long warned that social media is dangerous to health. Some experts believe that overcoming social media addiction is almost as difficult as overcoming alcohol or drug addiction.
A group of scientists from the GlobalWebIndex organization conducted a new study, which involved 170 thousand users of the social network Facebook from different countries.
Around 70% of young people (aged 16-19) in the UK and the US said they spend much less time on Facebook than they used to. Instant messaging apps are now more popular among young people.
Half of the survey participants admitted that they were tired of Facebook. The social network is now used by a larger number of users, but, in general, experts noted that the exchange of messages and photos on the social network occurs 20% less than a couple of years ago. About 30% of young people have stopped using Facebook for communication, since mobile applications such as Instagram are now more popular.
But despite the fact that Facebook users have become less active, the social network's Messenger remains quite popular among teenagers. According to some reports, Facebook Messenger is more popular than WhatsApp (an instant messaging app).
In terms of popularity among applications, Snapchat is currently in first place, allowing you to exchange short videos and photos (up to 40% of users in the USA, Canada, and Great Britain).
Experts have already stated that Facebook has a negative impact on teenagers. One of the latest studies found that young people under the influence of the social network consume a lot of unhealthy products.
Teenagers have proven to be extremely susceptible to advertising of harmful products that is posted on social networking sites.
Experts have also proven that Facebook affects self-esteem; for example, young girls who spend a lot of time online and look at other people’s photos develop problems related to their perception of their own attractiveness.
Scientists suggest that Facebook's decline will improve the lives of many teenagers.
Also, in one of the latest studies, scientists found out that shy and withdrawn people spend more time on Facebook, but this type of people shares little or no information about themselves with friends and acquaintances, in addition, they almost never upload photos to their page and do not add posts to their friends' pages.
Open people are more likely to enjoy the benefits that social networks provide (connecting with friends, family, updating status, sharing photos or videos). As a result, scientists concluded that people who are sociable by nature and who do not have a deficit of communication in real life are more likely to use Facebook for its intended purpose.
It is worth noting that another study found that open and sociable people are less likely to control their partners on social networks and more likely to share details of their personal lives with friends, which cannot be said about closed and reserved people. As a rule, shy and hidden people are more jealous and prone to neurotic states, and controlling their partner helps them reduce the feeling of anxiety that arises as a result of serious relationships.